Mail-bag fastening



(No Model.)

W. W. SYLVESTER.

MAIL BAG FASTENING.

No. 349,067. Patented Sept. 14, 1886.

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UNITED STATES l ATENT fitment KILLIAMWV. SYLVESTER, OF OHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

MAI L-BAG FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 349,067, dated September 14, 1886.

Application filed February 13, 1886. Serial No. 191,874.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. SYLvEs- TER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-BagFastenings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to that class of devicesknown as mail-bag fastenings, the object being to provide a simple and effectual fastening for securing the mouth of a mailpouch,,bag, satchel, or similararticle; and the invention consists in a series of staples hinged or pivoted in'such a manner as to interlock, and thereby firmly secure the flap of the bag to the body thereof; and the invention further embraces certain peculiarities of the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the mouth and flap of the bag with my improved fastening applied thereto. Fig. 2 is aview, looking edgewise at the series of staples, and represents them in the inclined position in which they are preferably placed immediately before interlocking them to secure the mouth of the bag. Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the series of interlocked staples.

Like letters of reference designate like parts in the several figures.

A represents the mouth end of a bag or similar article, and B the flap secured to one side of the mouth, and adapted to be folded over for the purpose of closing it. On the portion A of the bag is situated a row of staples arranged parallel to each other and to the sides of the bag, and projecting outward at right angles to the bag. The flap B is slotted, so that when it is folded over the mouth a staple may pass through each slot. A mail-pouch as or-- dinarily constructed at the present time has the bag proper slotted, while the staples are secured upon the flap.

(No model.)

The purpose of my present arrangement is to secure greater convenienceiu manipi'llating the fastening; but I do notwish to confine myself thereto, but reserve the liberty of using whichever arrangement may be deemed most desirable, either to secure the staples to the bag and provide the flap with slots or to secure the staples to the flap and furnish the bag with slots, or, in case of double-flap bags, to secure the staples to the second flap. Any one of these arrangements is consistent with the principle of myinvention, which resides in the devices for locking the bag.

The construction of a single staple-for instance, D, Fig. 1-will indicate the structural plan of all in the series. It consists of a metallic rod or wire formed as shown, the extremities of the arms thereof being bent or provided with terminal project-ions, which enterperforated lugs situated on each end of a base or metallic bar, E", which is firmly se cured to the bag by rivets or otherwise. outer side of each lug is preferably grooved at b, and the inner side is inclined at a toward the metallic bar E The end of each of the projecting portions of the arms which passes through the apertures in the lugs is enlarged in any suitable manner, as by swelling it, or by providing it with a rivet or nut, 0. With this construction the staple will normallystand upright, or, in other words,the rod or wire portion D will be perpendicular to the base E, since the tension of the rod keeps it in position within the lugs, and the inner beveled faces of said lugs prevent the rod from dropping down on one side or the other; but,when desired for the purpose of interlocking the staple, the rod may be turned down on one side or the other until it comes nearly or quite into contact with the bag. In this case the rods slip over the in clined faces of the lugs, which causes the ends of said rods to be drawn inward, their swelled or enlarged extremities entering the outer grooves, I), while the said enlargement, rivet, or nut prevents the liability of theends being sprung out of the lug. The projecting ends are thus drawn in, so as not to interfere with the shutting of the next staple down close by the ends of the base-bar. The minor details of this construction, however, may be varied or dispensed with without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The

The staples which constitute the fastening for a bag, satchel, or similar article are all constructed substantially as just described, and the series shown in the drawings consists of the rods 0, D, D, and D' and bases E, I), E and F. The staples are arranged at a suitable distance apart, so that the rod of one may be turned down over and inclose the next adjacent staple toward the middle. The middle staple is preferably made smaller than the rest, and may be stationary or hinged in like manner with the rest, and from the middle staple the staples lying in either direction regularly increase in width, the height remaining constant. Thus in the end staples the bar E is longer than the base E, and the rod D has a wider space between its arms than the rod 1). This is for the purpose of allowing the rod D to be bent down so as to inclose rod D and its base 15. Similarly, E is longer than 1* 8:0. Therefore, in order to interlock the series, the rod D on one side may be bent down to inclosc D and surround the base thereof. Then 1) may be turned down to inclose D and its base, which movement will also result in holding I)" firmly, and so on until rod D incloses the middle staple, G. Then the rods, commencing at D'", on the other end of the series may be bent down and similarly interlocked. Two series of staples increasing from a central smallest one toward either end are deemed preferable to One series beginning with the widest and terminating with the smallest staple, for in the latter case the largest staples would be unsightly and cumbersome. However, if the bag is small a single series may be used conveniently.

The operation of looking a bag, satchel, or similar article is as follows: The flap B is provided wit-h slots which lie opposite the sta ples and diminish in size from the end to the middle one, to correspond with the decreasing width of the staples. This flap is folded over the mouth of the bag, and the staples beingin their normal position one of them will pass through each slot. The hand is then run over the ends of the staples in each direction from the middle, so as to incline them into the position shown in Fig. 2. Then, by a reverse movement of the hand, each staple may be made to inclose the one next in front, beginning'with the extreme ones and moving them in the direction shown by the arrows. The two staples lettered D will inclose the middle one, (1). A padlock or othersuitable lockingdevice may then be used to secure these in place, and thereby fasten the whole device together and secure the mouth of the bag.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters latent, is

1. A fastening for mail-bags, satchels, and other similar articles, consisting of a series of interlocking staples having each a base and a bent rod pivoted thereto and adapted to inclose the rod of the next staple, substantially as shown and described.

2. In combination with a bag or other analogous article, a series of staples which regularly decrease inwidth, and each consisting of a base and a bent rod pivoted thereto, said staples adapted to interlock, substantially as shown and described.

In a mail-bag fastening, a series of staples, each consisting of the combination of a base, as l having perforated lugs on each extremity, said lugs having an outer groove, [1, and an inner beveled face, a, and a bent rod, as D", having its arms provided with terminal projections which enter the lugs and have their outer ends enlarged, substantially as shown and described.

4. A mail-bag fastening consisting of a middle staple and two series of staples whose members regularly increase from said middle staple to the terminal ones, and are adapted to overlap and be interlocked with each other and be secured by suitable means at the middle staple, substantially as herein specified and shown.

5. The combination of a bag having a series of overlapping and interlocking staples of variable size, and a flap having a corresponding series of slots, likewise of variable size, as shown and set forth.

In testimony whereof Iallix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\VILIJIAM \l'. SYL'VESIPER.

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I). J. DUFFY, 1 S. linen. 

